One day a husband and wife decided to make a gingerbread cookie. They cut the dough and baked it. When it was ready, they decorated its face with candy.
"There!" The woman smiled. "He almost looks real."
Her husband nodded. "He sure does."
To their surprise, the cookie suddenly jumped up. He ran out the door.
The couple ran after him. "Come back!"
The cookie just laughed and ran faster. "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man."
Soon the cookie ran past a dog.
The dog barked. "Mmm! I'm going to eat you!"
The cookie laughed. "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man."
The dog ran after the cookie, but the cookie ran faster.
Soon the cookie ran past a child.
"Mmm!" the child said. "I'm going to eat you!"
The cookie laughed. "Run, run as fast as you can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man."
The child ran after the cookie, but the cookie ran faster.
Soon the cookie ran past a cow.
The cow mooed. "Mmm! I'm going to eat you!"
The cookie laughed. "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man."
The cookie ran until he reached a river.
"Uh-oh!" he said. "I can't swim!"
"Do you want to cross the river?" someone asked.
The cookie spun around. A fox stood nearby.
"Oh yes!" the gingerbread man said. "Can you help me?"
"Sure," the fox said. "Jump on my tail. I'll take you to the other side."
"Great!" The cookie jumped onto the fox's tail.
The fox started across the river.
"Hmm," she said. "The water is getting deep. Why don't you climb onto my back?"
The fox kept swimming. "The water is getting even deeper. Why don't you climb onto my nose?"
"Okay," the cookie said. "Thanks for keeping me so safe."
"No problem," the fox said. Then . . . she gobbled up the cookie in one bite! Snap!
At last everyone reached the river.
"The gingerbread man is gone!" the child said sadly.
The husband nodded.
But the wife smiled. "Come home with us. We'll make another gingerbread man!"
So everyone went home with the husband and wife. Together they made another gingerbread man. And this one was delicious!